Lyrics from "Stone by Stone" CD

Afterlife You step outside, you just don’t know You step outside, you just let go And in that movement , in that fall In that instant it all comes to a halt Afterlife, afterlife We’re sitting here wondering what comes up Afterlife, afterlife You’re a little off, you’re not yourself You’re a little off, you call for help So it’s off to the doctor, off for some tests It turns out to be more than just bed rest Afterlife, afterlife We’re sitting here wondering what comes up Afterlife, afterlife Chorus: One foot in front of the other One laugh longing for more One kiss blown to the one you love As you turn to choose which door will be the door You’re on the plane, you’re flying somewhere You’re on the plane, you’re slightly scared A little bit turbulent, a little rough air You’re holding your breath and saying a prayer Afterlife, afterlife We’re sitting here wondering what comes up Afterlife, afterlife Chorus: So you get in your car, you’re on the road You get in your car, you’re headed home Suddenly headlights are headed right at you Somebody lost control Afterlife, afterlife We’re sitting here wondering what comes up Afterlife, afterlife Chorus

Stone by Stone I had a life, it seemed so beautiful I had a home, it was quite large There were two horses and a studio A great big fireplace and I built the barn 7 acres in the country In 93, my mother died For 7 years, somewhat numbly We walked the pasture, stride by stride Chorus It is amazing that life continues And stone by stone we move along I have a new life, it too is beautiful I keep the old inside my songs I had a life, I lived in Madison I had a home and it was small But it was cozy, it had a lot of sun I raked the leaves come every fall For 10 good years, it felt like home Until our lost love left me cold I shoveled snowand did it all alone I kept my chin up, both brave and bold Chorus Now I have a life near the ocean I’ve traveled far for another shot And I have children and great commotion And a wife, who would have thought In all my years, in all these miles And all the shoes that I have worn There is renewal once in a while We die a little to be reborn Chorus It is amazing how life continues And stone by stone, we move along I have a new life, it too is beautiful I keep the old inside my song

Monuments Chorus Tear down the walls Tear down the monuments To end ignorance Is our main pursuit Take away the hatred Take away the arrogance Why can’t we all focus on truth Some say the past is the past That it’s no longer real But that only opens wounds That have never healed The result is the same Whether by force or a sleepy driver We all are complicit In the face of the survivors Chorus Each generation has questions Where they find different ends To make sense of a world On which their life depends So much goes unsaid When the saying is imperative How do we find our voice In this ever changing narrative Chorus As old as the civil war As new as black lives matters Society disrupted Democracy in tatters Celebrated by some And detested by others In the end we must remember We’re all sisters and brothers Chorus

Old Tin Cup My dear daughter You kept that old tin measuring cup The one that I so treasured That I couldn’t quite give up I used it most of my life It suited me just fine Measuring my ingredients Leveling to the line My dear daughter It was so dented and so worn But I used it every day Before even you were born Like an old friend I could count on It was something clearly mine But the thing I failed to measure Was time Chorus I kept it all those years Now you keep it on display I didn’t want to part with it I used it every day It measured life and love and food so fine For you it measures the passage of time My dear daughter I’m gone 27 years I know that when you hold that cup Your eyes well up with tears Now it measures all the Many ways you’ve grown A testament to all you’ve done And all the things you’ know Chorus My dear daughter You lived many of my dreams A singer and an artist And a good cook, so it seems When your time is done Will you also pass it on To Austin, or your daughter Or your son Chorus

Welcome To America God knows when they met But sometime during the war A flame flared up quite quick When he walked in her door A fantasy unspoken He was charged, she was sure They walked right up to each other Forevermore They married soon I know But when, I really can’t say They’ve left us all and gone off To another place But they bore three gorgeous children On that Adriatic Sea They walked right up to each other It was meant to be Chorus Oh those old memories Oh those old days All I have is a photo And what little I’ve learned From a lower class, a poorer life And a mighty strong will They made their way to America Papa, he came first And he forgot to go back Nonon didn’t speak to him She was so mad Finally wrote, get home for us Or don’t you bother to come He got right back to the family Afraid they was done Chorus All alone in a world They don’t know In a neighborhood that hated them For their differences But they managed with each other And grew strong despite the spite Welcome to America Papa died at 62 He had a bad heart At 83 Nonon played her last card From the photo, you would have thought They were much older than their days But that generation wore time In a different way Chorus

My First Guitar Chorus When I was 11 years old We left our home in Chicago Traveling to the north, so far I didn’t what was in store Only knew I wanted more And that was when I got my first guitar 4 kids, my mom and dad Pots and pans, and football pads A davenport, twin beds and a dinette set A hot dog wagon from the Price is Right My dad won it on the show one night That was how we showed up in Marquette I hated leaving that one block street 30 kids, including me 4 years of playing in that empty lot Said goodby to my best friend Don’t think I ever saw him again But this was not my choice, like it or not Chorus And that guitar saved my life A new chapter was in my sights Took it from my brother when he walked in that door Didn’t matter what new friends I made Just wanted that guitar to play Hell we had already moved 4 times before Chorus

Lyrics from "Roses in "November CD

Roses in November Fall is showing up much later this year Roses blooming in November I picked tomatoes from the garden last week Another unseasonable season Peppers red and hot and dropping to the ground I’ve got a fall crop of zucchini And it’s still too soon to rake the autumn leaves Another unseasonable season Did you notice that the hurricanes are fiercer Tornadoes tearing up and ripping our towns But let’s go driving through the countryside Gas is much cheaper these days I bought some apples, not a blemish to be found Though the limes are hard and thready Doesn't the rice seem more expensive than before Another unseasonable season Did you notice that we had more rain Though other states are deep in drought Still let’s go driving through the countryside Gas is much cheaper these days Should we go out and buy a brand new truck Hell the rates are really low We could drive across the state so fast Out run the storm that’s ‘bout to blow first chorus, first verse

Lessons From Home Plate My Dad, he was so cool The first in the family to high school He’d never rest til he aced each test But baseball was the golden rule My father loved the game A big town hero with small town fame He’d block the plate, seal the runner’s fate Baseball was his middle name Keep your eye on the ball Keep your feet firmly planted Take that swing when the pitch feels right Trust your instincts, trust your truth Hit that ball just like Babe Ruth My father taught us lessons from home plate My dad was always neat And his temperament was soft and sweet A boy well groomed, the girls would swoon His dapper ways and dancing feet Out in the Chevrolet Off to the dance, the band would play He’s spin and twirl those pretty girls He’d dance the swing til the light of day Keep your ear to the beat Keep your feet firmly planted Take that dance when the song feels right Trust your instincts, trust the air Swing that date like Fred Astaire My father taught us lessons from home plate His golf game is still fine 6 holes in one since he’s gone blind 18 holes, 98 years old Sound of body, sound of mind Keep your eye on the ball Keep your feet firmly planted Take that swing when the wind feels right Trust your instincts, trust your creed Hit that ball like old Sam Snead My father taught us lessons from home plate

Edith Rivera It’s quitting time for Edith Rivera She’s serving one last Mexican meal Then heading down the dusty farm road The pedal and the wheel No legal status in this country Though she’s lived here 18 years No driver’s license in her wallet Just expired hopes and fear Chorus Not afraid of the man in the red tie Or the county sheriff’s quest This rapidly diverse farm town No longer a place of rest Not afraid to be pulled over Or how she still will cope Some politicians call it self-deportation She calls it her only hope Driving down to meet her son Stephen’s in the 7th grade He’s only once been to Veracruz American born and raised Her husband has already gone Deported two thousand and fifteen So she sells off what the family has built The furniture and machines This country’s freckled with Ediths and Hamptons And immigrants who build the town squares Transforming businesses, working the fields But now they’re all running scared Though wretched poverty awaits her There’s nothing here she can call home Edith scrolls through her memories Like pictures on her phone Now they board their Mexican flight “Algun dia", she says, “someday” The Delta agent asks “do you have a return” She says, “no return, just one way.

Unemployment Blues Stopped in the unemployment office Picked up a form Never answered questions like this As long as I’ve been born Always worked at music Or as a sound engineer This simply job application is Everything I fear Cause I know my name Know where I’m from But I don’t know what I’d do If I didn’t do what I’ve done My education Doesn’t come with a degree Just try to check my references You’ll see just what I see Can you do a spreadsheet Or other desktop work Try telemarketing Or be a retail clerk Could you be a line cook Or maybe even clean The only thing I’ve ever done is Dream my dream CHORUS: I can help you write a song I can teach guitar I can paint your pooch, boy I can drive a car But put me in an office And watch my motor skills run dry My, oh my My. oh my

You Are Well life has not been easy There’s so much pressing on you Between the kids and me You’re stretched thin But far beyond that sadness And all that frustration Lies a beauty that we share From deep within You get up each morning You’re off to work each day I try to make it easy as you go But I’m not always here And you’re on your own and lonely And the kids aren’t often close enough To hold you But we love you with all our hearts We love you with all our souls We love you with every bit of who we are Cause you’re amazing You’re amazing, you are We just need you to know Cause we’re not always there to tell you That you hold us all together with your glue It binds us like nothing That we have ever known It’s supple, it stretches, it’s true And we love you with all our heart We love you with all our soul We love you with every bit of who we are Cause you’re amazing You’re amazing You are Kenny in the Pool Hall

Kiester I turned off of 90, south on 22 Heading down the two lane into tn Driving a Rider Truck, my car in tow behind I think I might have passed my uncle’s farm I’m on my way to somewhere new with an urge to glimpse the old To see if my grandma’s house is still the same With a movie camera as my eye, in wonder as I go Capturing my past in moving frames CHORUS: And don’t you know behind those curtains And all those weathered panes Are whispers “there are strangers on the street” And if I had the strength of heart I’d knock on all those doors And find out what it’s like to never leave My Grandma’s house is standing, I almost see her standing too And hear “It’s Been a Blue, Blue Day” from the park Though the roller rink has come and gone, the theater’s lit up bright I’m quite surprised that it hasn’t gone dark Kenny’s pool hall isn’t there now & he has long been gone And the family still owns Grandma’s place I drove away before I had the nerve to ask around At the time there were things I couldn’t face CHORUS: And don’t you know behind those curtains And all those weathered panes Are whispers “there are strangers on the street” And if I had the strength of heart I’d knock on all those doors And find out what it’s like to never leave I can’t imagine what it’s like To live one place and never leave To live your life in just one town To have no chance to move away I tell myself that I’ll go back and this time really stay Look into the eyes of my family I’ll ask them all to tell me tales that I have long since lost I hope I have the sense to fill that dream And I will sit behind those curtains And all those weathered panes And I won’t be the stranger on the street To hear the stories from the heart And open up old doors And find out what it’s like to never leave

New Years The night proves warm as springtime rain Though New Years speaks in winter tones Another year has come and gone I wave, surprised I’m not alone I stand beneath the darkened clouds With breaks along the skyline blade And wish for beauty in the night And hope to find a brand new day But still I feel the bittersweet Though love surrounds me far and here As cracks appear and show the wear Of seasons gone and seasons near I look about, this is my home “I’ve chosen well” I shout out loud And take in all before I turn And move into the midnight crowd The night proves warm as springtime rain Though New Years speaks in winter tones Another year has come and gone I wave, and smile, I’m not alone

#45 There’s sickness in the Whitehouse, no sense of legacy They’re pulling all the punches, no feel for destiny Rolling back advances made on so many fronts Beefing up the oil hungry boot licking grunts How will we eradicate this trumped up misery Take us to the hill, Lord, nlet us fight this disease There’s madness in the Senate, madness in the House Executive orders pouring out his pooched out little mouth Republicans won’t challenge him, they don’t have the balls Afraid to face constituents, afraid to take their calls How will we eradicate this trumped up misery Take us to the hill, Lord, let us fight for victory People are quite angry, people are so done I’ve never seen so many motivated to run For a government position, for a chance to make a change Striking while the iron’s hot, while the target is in range How will we eradicate this trumped up misery Take us to the hill, Lord, let us fight for liberty There’s poison in the Whitehouse, no love of history They’re killing off the planet, no sense of legacy Making empty promises they have no plans to keepxv Beefing up the money grubbing greedy little cheats How will we eradicate this trumped up misery Take us to the hill, Lord, let us fight for sanity Take us to the hill, Lord, let us fight for victory Take us to the hill, Lord, let us fight for liberty

Lyrics from "Rembrandt Afternoons" CD

Freedom CHORUS: Carry Freedom in your heart Carry Justice as a goal Carry Love in every fiber of the fabric of your soul Carry Freedom in your heart Carry Justice as a goal Carry Love in every fiber of the fabric of your soul When your seams are tearing And your sleeves are threadbare And your shoes are wearing from the road When your spirit’s too thin And your heart’s too heavy Remember all that you’ve been told CHORUS When the world seems shredded And our battles stitched up And the fighting nothing more than show When our fuel is fracked And our lives hi-jacked Remember all that we’ve been told CHORUS: Still our lives aren’t equal It’s just another sequel To a tragic tale that we’ve been sold When I can’t get married And I can’t be buried By the one I’ve pledged forevermore CHORUS:

Now I Know It wasn’t that long ago I was so all alone Sitting on a love seat Waiting by the phone For a call that never came From the one who didn’t show Wasn’t sure what was happening But now I know It wasn’t that long ago But time does move along When you think you just can’t sing You find a better song And in the singing you find comfort In the song, a brand new show Wasn’t sure what was happening But now I know It was you behind the curtain You, I hadn’t met And when I finally did You were the one I ‘d not forget It was you who threw the life line As I headed out to sea What good fortune You found me It wasn’t that long ago I was so all alone Sitting on a love seat Waiting by the phone For a call that never came From the one who didn’t show Wasn’t sure what was happening But now I know

Tender You’ve come into your own Like no one could imagine A choice you made yourself No celebrity, no fashion A glass about to break The shell around your heart Now you have the choice The map, the means, the chart How hard to find an answer That can free you like a song How hard to tend a body In which you do not belong The calling of your true self The calling of your heart Now you have the choice The map, the means, the chart Sometimes we are born into the wrong place and time Sometimes it’s as simple as gender It isn’t ever simple and wrong can still be right And the heart should always be tender I fell into a family that has Love as its back door And it’s always swinging wide For the richest and the poor There’s room for any shape or size There’s room for every heart And you have a choice A map, a means, a chart The challenge is acceptance In each and every hour No matter what the package No matter where the power The toughest transition is To open up our hearts But we have the choice The map, the means, the chart Sometimes we can step into the right place and time Sometimes it’s no longer the pretender Still, It isn’t ever simple and wrong can still be right And the heart should always be tender

A Moment in Time I pulled a bottle from the sea In hopes it was a time capsule Or maybe some lost treasure A way to look at life anew Through someone else’s deja vu For just a moment in time I saw a wedding and a vow A two hand toss into the waves To a future beyond measure A time to hold this life as new To start a love that would be true For just a moment in time Or was it thrown by one betrayed A dark attempt to seek some vengeance And in that toss to find some pleasure A sinking splash into the blue A love no longer felt as true In a moment of time But it held nothing more than sand Some would say it held a promise Or a loss of opportunity What I see is glass in glass Worn through all the ages A moment in time I found a picture in a frame Two women walking arm in arm They seemed to talk a tender care The way they leaned, a fiery touch Or am I reading far too much In this moment of time They could be lovers or just friends Maybe sisters on a stroll A tete a tete, a secret shared Or a new romantic crush Or am I looking for too much In this moment of time It was an image cast away Tossed into a trunk with many others Was it calling out to me For what I see is heart in heart Warm through all the ages A moment in time

A Carry Me Home Dark the night, the new moon rising Far away from the light of day As I set sail for distant shores The dazzling stars will light my way But if clouds roll in and mask the north star And I am adrift upon the seas My inner compass is what I have To get me to my better me My better me So many times i’ve rolled these waves A pilgrim on my pilgrim’s quest To find the heart of all that holds me And carry light within my breast But sails will tear and masts will break And I’ll be lost upon the blue But if I can hold my rudder strong I’ll ride the roll, my path is true My path is true Carry Me Hold me steadfast on my journey Loose the voice that it will carry Carry Me Home Secure the ropes and hold the bow I’m coming in for just a spell To walk the earth a steady gait And break the solid from the swell But soon enough the new moon rises Far away from the light of day As I set sail for one more round Your dazzling heart will light my way

Riverbank There’s a warm wind whistling through the pine boughs There’s a red sun setting ‘neath the clouds And as the day turns softly into evening I want to sing my love to you out loud Chorus So if you follow me to the riverbank We can float on out to the sea And if you promise to travel the world with me I will promise you love eternally There’s the silver of moon upon the slipstream There’s the shimmer of stars across the sky As the heavens turn from indigo to velvet I want to sing my love out as a cry Chorus 2 Ooh, ooh ooh We’ll glide upon the water Ooh, ooh, ooh we’ll skate when winter calls Ooh, ooh, As long as we’re together Summer winter spring and fall There’s the salty spray of summer oceans And the peppered sleet against the pane As the seasons dissolve one to other I want to sing my love for you again

Foolish or Foolhearted He made a figure eight knit scarf To keep me warm in winter Gray as the color in my hair I wore it on those icy days Those cold December nights Now I can’t find it anywhere It was made with so much love The finest woolen yarn With tender, articulated care I was delighted to be given A gift from his crafting hands Now I can’t find it anywhere Doesn’t mean it didn’t mean that much to me Doesn’t mean I’m foolish or foolhearted I was sitting in Atlanta waiting for my plane I dashed away and I guess i forgot it She found the perfect heart shaped stone A promise of our love Gray as the color in my hair I kept it in my pocket To remind me of her trust Now I can’t find it anywhere Doesn’t mean it didn’t mean that much to me Doesn’t mean I’m foolish or foolhearted I was leaving New York City, checking out of my hotel I dashed away and I guess i forgot it Still I know that it’s unsettling To lose an object of affection But it’s not a loss of loving or of care What matters most of all Is the thought and all the feeling And that’s something that I always find here It was a queen of hearts star cup To keep my coffee warm Gray as the color in my hair Something I could travel with To remind me to come home Now I can’t find it anywhere Doesn’t mean it didn’t mean that much to me Doesn’t mean I’m foolish or foolhearted It was sitting on the roof as I was packing up the car And I drove away and I guess i forgot it At least I didn’t lose my heart, it’s with you here

Slipper Mood Well my dog don’t bark but my dogs sure do Especially when they’re in uncomfortable shoes I’m on them all morning night and afternoon I’m bruised and blistered and I'm lickin’ my wounds I can’t wait to get home and slip into A soft, sleepy slipper mood Well my pup’s asleep but my puppies are whining I”m standing all day and then I have to remind myself To sit right down and take a load off my feet When I put them up, you know it feels so sweet I can’t wait to get home and slip into A soft, sleepy slipper mood Slipper mood, slipper mood I’m warm inside and comfy too Safe and sound in my bedroom groove A soft, sleepy slipper mood The kittens are purring but this cat’s uptight My toes are tender, my sole’s not right I forget how to stop, to put my business to rest I’m far too busy, my mind’s a mess I can’t wait to get home and slip into A soft, sleepy slipper mood

Worry Stones On my chest a worry stone Meant to rub away my woes Much too often as I fret I don’t take time or I forget I get too rushed to even breathe Then fall away in restless sleep In my pocket a treasured piece Tucked away and meant to ease My fragile soul, my mending heart It holds together my torn apart I try to stop and look to see Then fall away in restless sleep Stones to heal and stones to soothe To silence fear, to turn a mood But how can they accomplish this When the heart is where we find our bliss These amulets, these treasured gifts I’m pulled in or set adrift I wish they had the power to Make me bold and solid through But all that I can hope to be Is tossing in my restless sleep Stones to heal and stones to soothe To silence fear, to turn a mood But how much can they really say When the heart is how we find our way

Lyrics from "A Piece 0f the Sky" CD

A Piece of the Sky I walk out onto the moon As I gaze upon this big round night And I wonder as I always do How the sun can make the moon seem so bright It's a mystery to me It's a mystery to others I can see It's a reflection of our bodies Of our souls, of our hearts, of our hearts And I walk along the Noland Trail As it winds along the river to the sea And I marvel at the water As it runs so deep beneath my feet It's a mystery to me It's a mystery to others I can see It's a reflection of our bodies Of our souls, of our hearts, of our hearts Raise your voice so high Like it's a piece of the sky Let it rain down around you, let it rain Raise your voice so high Like it's a piece of the sky Let it rain down around us all I stand out in the morning sun As I feel the warmth of springtime return And I thank my angels for another run Where I can touch the earth and taste the burn It's a mystery to me It's a mystery to others I can see It's a reflection of our bodies Of our souls, of our hearts, of our hearts Raise your voice so high Like it's a piece of the sky Let it rain down around you, let it rain Raise your voice so high Like it's a piece of the sky Let it rain down around us all

The Rain If I stand out in the rain Will it wash away my tears Will a whole hesrt still remain When my anguish disappears If I let it truly drench me Will the waters then recede And if I let my jaw unclench Will my anger be set free Or will the rain just all on me Will the rain just fall on me If I shout into the wind Will my cries be blown away Will a new life then begin Will my heart line be remade If I let the zephyrs move me Will my pathway be swept clean If I find a voice to soothe me Will there be better dream Or will the wind just blow at me Will the wind just blow at me There's hope in every sunrise There's promise in a rainbow There's freedom in a sunset made of gold And I imagine there are deeper dreams Deeper dreams ahead And more than I have ever said More than I have ever said More than I have ever said If I walk through fields of snow Will the snow drifts cover me Will it quiet me as I go Or will this hurt forever be If I make it through the storm Will a spring thaw touch my bones Will I finally feel warm This heart that longs for home Or will the snow just cover me Will the snow just cover me

Bluebird When one door closes, another one opens They say that to make you feel alright I really thought my heart was too broken Then you came into my life I had pain written all over my face I’d put warming signs all over the place There was no one gonna hurt me again No one I would cause any more pain Many days, my blinds were not open Many nights, my sleep was too thin The bed was bare, the pillows all frozen Then I felt you climb right in I had tear stained lines on the page I was still working through all of my rage There was no one I was gonna let in I’d failed before, I’d surely fail again There were no words When I had so much to say Like how I never thought I’d feel this way But if I hadn’t spread my wings to fly You surely would have never caught my eye So it’s true When one doors closes, another door opens And in technicolor on the other side I really thought my heart was too broken Then you walked into my life And if bluebirds can fly over the rainbow Then why oh why can’t I

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The Heart and Back Again With a smile that lights the room From the day that you were born I’ve seen it in old photographs Tattered but not worn You can fill a room with laughter And pleasure in your stories I treasure the first day I laid eyes on you You were called to be a mother And what a mom you’ve been I see it in the children And how they take it on the chin How they rely on you for love And constance in their journeys And how they treasure every day they lay eyes on you Walk with me now and forever You’re fifty and just starting over Stay with me now and ever more We will travel to the heart and back again I found you at a concert You stuck inside my brain I wrote you on a whim You wrote back and then again You filled my heart with joy That had left me in the night And I treasure every day I lay eyes on you

The Zen of Being 365 days til the end Then I start a new year and begin once again I move two steps forward and one step behind Into the future with the past still in mind The Zen of Being 12 times reminded of all that has gone The rise in a tone, a word in a song I close tight my eyes til they are blue once again Not really my color but a state I am in It’s the Zen of Being 52 reasons to step forward and move Not weak in my gait, not shy in my shoes I open my eyes to the brightness ahead No longer afraid, no longer afraid, No longer afraid 60 incentives, 24 times a day Minute by minute, in the most beautiful way A smile as I wake, a tear of pure joy A love I so cherish, three girls and a boy And the Zen of Being The Zen of Being The Zen of Being Zen

Bucket of Tears Where did you go, how did it end You were my lover and my best friend Though all these years pulled us apart Somehow you stayed inside my heart All those times I will remember, I always will In the remembering is the thrill, oh the thrill You were the one who made me laugh in those years And now I’m left with a bucket of tears I watched you go, though I was the one who walked away You said you loved me, but I couldn’t stay I loved you back but I had things to do The way you cared for me got me through The years have slipped away, look at them fall I’m still on the road, still answering that call You were the one who made me laugh in those years And now I’m left with a bucket of tears You had a piece of my heart, you knew me better than anyone else But something took you from me and me to myself We saw each other, time and again Time never passes between friends Though we drifted apart and went each our own way I still can picture most of those days You were the one who made me laugh in those years And now I’m left with a bucket of tears So rest in peace my friend, I’ll say farewell I’ll hold the hurt and the heart swell My tears are falling like Oregon Rain Falling again, again and again You stayed behind and I let you go We were so young, what did we know You were the one who made me laugh in those years And now I’m left with a bucket of tears

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The Artist Way At 12 years, I am newly formed Quaking in the light My first guitar in hand My first real dream in sight I knew that I was meant for more Than nine to five foot answers I chose to let my heart strings sound At 18, I was on my way I left my home behind Traveling farther than I’d been A new found sense of time Lucky in my liberty With luxury left behind I wouldn’t have it any other way The calling of the artist’s way Is never much a choice If you choose the steeper climb Following your voice Rewards are more than rent that’s paid Pretty clothes and cars To me there is no greater joy Than playing my guitar At 35, I had a band Electric fingers flew Heading out for weeks on end We were music through and through We played in major concert halls The crowds were all on fire And all my perfect dreams were coming true Now I’m in my sixties My journey still unfolds I take my music everywhere I’m always on the road Though I long for home To sleep in my own bed I’d probably dream of this hard life instead

Tender Halfway down the highway I stopped to stretch my mind As I looked down that long road My shadow crossed the center line I don’t always know where I am going On this troubled, cobbled trail And I hope I win your heart today Cause tomorrow I may fail I take this wheel I walk along the edges I leave a little bit of me Everywhere I go When I take this wheel I hope it turns me home Cause I know that home is you Halfway cross the country In another state of mind I never see the boundaries Though they cross me every time I always know where I have been Burdened by the borders I hope I hold your heart today Cause tomorrow’s a new order I take this wheel I walk along the edges I leave a little bit of me Everywhere I go When I take this wheel I hope it turns me home Cause I know that home is you Halfway through my life Another map in hand I choose another road And once more cross this land And I feel much less afraid As i move on down the line And I hope that you will trust our love This life is yours and mine

The Door He stands at the door, taps on the window Pointing to somewhere he’d rather be “I need to be there”, he says over and over But there is somewhere you cannot see Tall and so strong and so physically well To look from a distance, you really can’t tell That most of his memories have gone from his life Forgetting most things except his daughters and wife And sometimes that slips down the slippery slope And you sit here burdened with your desperate hope What cruel conditions wake him each day Sometimes he’s here, then it all falls away And nothing makes sense in his mystified mind Words have all failed him, there’s no sense of time It all slips away, then a moment so clear “I’m back, I’m back”, is what you long to hear A prayer and a plea and a cry in the night You can’t make it work though you fight the good fight You wish it were as easy, as easy as this To bring back the prince takes one little kiss td>

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My Best If I had stayed at home If I had had 2 kids How would my life me different than the one I own If I had stayed at home If I had had 4 kids Would I have been much different in my tone If I had never left This place that meant so much If my family had fulfilled me like they do Oh wait...perhaps I’m already living that life too Perhaps the longing is The fact we don’t have tools To unlock the many lives we own Perhaps our longing is just a memory Because our memories always take us home If we never leave Can we come home again If we never cross a boundary or road Perhaps we cross so many times We just don’t know Space and time and circumstance This is how the world unfolds Sometimes more deeply than we know If I ever stop, if I ever quit If I ever end my search by tooth and bone I would not be true to my own truth And I would never find this place that I call home I am happy here, I have found a perch By definition it is a place of rest What comforts me, at this time of life, I feel my best

That Side of The Moon My house I leave open My faith lies with friends If I can’t trust my instincts I’ll lose in the end I’d rather take chances Than be on my guard That side of the moon is too dark I can run from the fire Turn my back on the wind Hide from the rain But not from my friends I’d rather risk injury Than be on my guard That side of the moon is too dark

Lyrics from "The Horizon" CD

The Horizon I need to say something I’ve never said before I’ve loved you so much more Than I ever thought I would I need to tell you I’d never felt this way Through the swing and the sway I’d never felt this good Maybe the hardship keeps it all afloat As long as we can row, as long as we can row And in your absence I can make it without fail As long as I can sail, as long as I can see The Horizon Lately when I look at you I’m looking through new eyes I’m constantly surprised By the one that I see I feel that magic That brought me to this place When I first saw your face First said “you and me” Maybe the hardship keeps it all afloat As long as we can row, as long as we can row And in your absence I can make it through each gale As long as I can sail, as long as I can see The Horizon Promises only keep As long as your word is true And long distance only works When there’s no away from you I set sail by the sun and moon And follow the brightest star And that’s where you always are And in my deepest dreams You’ve pulled me from the storm Wrapped me in your warm Rolled me in your waves Now I’m awakening Though I wish I never would I’d stay here if I could If our dreams could be saved Maybe the hardship keeps it all afloat As long as we can row, as long as we can row And in your absence I can make it without fail As long as I can sail, as long as I can see The Horizon

The Grace of God You’re minding your own business When out of the blue Like a bolt of white lightning They come crashing into you And one hundred and one memories Break across your heart Your breath comes in fits and waves And you’re pulling apart And the angels are all watching They’re counting the minutes Your life becomes a circle game You’re out of it or in it By the Grace of God we come and go You’re sitting in Cortona With a hilltop view And your ancestors are whispering They’ve got plans for you And one hundred and one questions Race across your mind You’re caught between the then and now Fighting with time And the angels are all waiting They’re counting your minutes Your life becomes a circle game You’re out of it or in it By the Grace of God we come and go I’m standing on this earth My feet firmly planted With a promise to myself I won’t take things for granted Like the love that I love The light of my life And my sight In a café on the eastside Coffee for two You’re waiting by the front door For your love to walk through And one hundred and one scenes Play behind your eyes Why she hasn’t shown up yet Why she’s not on time And the angels are all watching To see how you would spin it If suddenly your world split wide And she wasn’t in it By the Grace of God we come and go

Millie Millie had her dark side And it got in her way She’d get rid of it in the morning But it would steal the end of day And no matter what she’d do No matter what she’d try In the middle of the night There’d be tears in her eyes And that was Millie’s dark side Millie had her demons And they slept on her right They’d fade away at sunrise And then haunt her in the night And no matter what she’d do No matter what she’d try She’d wake up in a cold sweat And they’d be staring her in the eyes And that was Millie’s dark side Oh Millie, you’re just another fallen angel You’re always in some kind of danger Of losing your way, your back to the wall Forgetting your dreams and most of all Losing Millie to the dark side Millie had two faces And they faced either way She could be the sweetest sweetheart And then mold a heart of clay And no matter what you’d do No matter what you’d say She’d take your words and swallow them And spit them out another way And that was Millie’s dark side Oh, Oh Millie Oh, Oh we love you so Oh, Oh Millie Where do you go Where do you go Oh Millie, you’re just another fallen angel You’re always in some kind of danger Of losing your way, your back to the wall Forgetting your dreams and most of all Losing Millie to the dark side Millie had her dark side and it got in her way

Nine I remember the first time The first time we met Just like it was yesterday How could I forget I remember the way you looked When you walked up to me I forgot everything before You were all I could see So I held my breath while I counted Counting as far as I knew When I let my breath out I was counting on you Chorus: Nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine Nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine Nine, nine, nine is the number that took me to you It turned one into two You were a dream come true You were so fine How could I not fall this hard As I fell out of time Right into your arms Sewn into your seams Life is always just what You are willing to dream So I held my breath while I counted Counting as far as I knew When I let my breath out I was counting on you Chorus All my life I’d been searching For a love that was true And I know following my heart Is what I’m supposed to do Love’s a long conversation One that always takes two And though it twists and turns and tumbles ‘round It will carry you through So I held my breath while I counted Counting as far as I knew When I let my breath out I was counting on you

To Find Our Love (Written in 1978 and rediscovered by my brother Scot, who asked me to sing it at his daughter, Danielle's wedding) In the morning when I wake At the moment of daybreak I thank the very sun that I’m alive I turn over, find you there With your just awakening stare And I thank my very soul that I’m alive And when I turn to hold you near My feelings become clear Though it’s hard sometimes to try To look beyond myself The rewards become so grand As the years unfold the plan And I’ve only now begun to find our love In the evening when I’m tired And I sit before the fire And I look on what I’ve done and yearn to do It’s so wonderful to see You sitting next to me Sharing all the life that we go through And when I turn to hold you near My feelings become clear Though it’s hard sometimes to try To look beyond myself The rewards become so grand As the years unfold the plan And I’ve only now begun to find our love

Blackberry Blues You’re always on the phone You never put it down You won’t leave it alone And I wonder who you’re talking to at 2 in the morning 12 o’clock at night And when I ask you, you ignore me Ana you think that it’s all right And I say why, why, why Why, why, why, why, why You’ve got facebook on the brain You’re staring at the screen And it’s making me insane And I don’t know when you last talked to me at 2 in the morning 12 o’clock at night You don’t look up to see me Ana you think that it’s all right And I say why, why, why Don’t you try, try, try, try, try Chorus: Yeah, the whole world has gone crazy We don’t meet face to face We don’t talk one on one And we’re never just in one place Yeah, we’re linked in, tagged, and texted, myspaced, facebooked, tweeted But it’s never about you and me We don’t have conversations We don’t see eye to eye We just have confrontations And I wonder what we used to do at 2 in the morning 12 o’clock at night When no one else really mattered When everything seemed all right And I say why, why, why Don’t we try, try, try, try, try Chorus

Forward There’s somebody outside my door but it’s not who I thought it was Somebody somewhat familiar but not who I thought it was Has the light really shifted, have my eyes failed me at last? Have the sands of time drifted, is our future stuck in our past? There’s something I’ve wanted to ask but the words are so hard to find Is this who we hoped we would be or have we fallen out of time Have we really changed or has change pulled us apart? We fight for our souls but we’ve always been of one heart We can’t move forward Our gears are all rusted Our wheels not turning Our drive bruised and busted We can’t seem to move at all There’s somewhere I’ve wanted to be but I can’t put my finger there Mostly inside of your heart, with you almost anywhere Our dreams are so vivid but our nightmares are wearing us out We’re not short on passion and passion is what we’re about We can’t move forward Our gears are all rusted Our wheels not turning Our drive bruised and busted We can’t seem to move at All I really want is this ride with you Through all the magical places we’ve traveled to And there’s still more driving to do We can’t move forward Our gears are all rusted Our wheels not turning Our drive bruised and busted We can’t seem to move at all There’s somebody outside my door but it’s not who I thought it was

My Cousin's Eyes Oh the times go by so fast We were younger, I remember Now the years have long since passed Since we’d visit in December Not a gray hair on our heads Not a sick one among us Now we’re slower out of bed And the grandkids are the young ones Chorus: Is this really how it is? Is this really how it comes apart? A little heavier in our bodies A little heavier in our hearts Is this really how it is? Is this really what comes after? A little heavier in our hearts A little heavier in our laughter First my mother passed away Then her sister in due time Uncle Jim chose not to stay And Uncle Nick not far behind Cousin Tony next was buried How could it possibly be so Seems he and Maryann just married Where the hell does the time go Chorus All these years, all these family ties All these tears, all the times we’ve cried And all our memories are ties that bind And all we ever want is time Now Peter’s gone as well And I see my mother in my cousin’s eyes When I’ll be back is hard to tell It depends on how the time flies Chorus

Bells, Birds and Stone (written in 1995 and recorded for "Between the Covers" but never made it on the album, Found it again and rewrote it) The hours draw down and darken my skies The sounds of the night from feather to bone Surely I’d sleep if I could just close my eyes But I can’t sleep for the silence of bells, birds and stone Below me the city all dusty and dim The cobblestone streets, the shadowy tones The doorways all beckon to the gardens within And I can’t sleep for the echoes of bells, birds and stone Voices were calling from out of my body From country to country From the lure to the lore And I couldn’t answer from the center of solace From the memory of angels From the salt of my tears From the eye to the heart I walk in my dreams down the crumbling stairs To the center of town where the blackbirds have flown The trees are all music, the benches all bare And I can’t sleep for the singing of bells, birds and stone. Voices were calling from out of my body From country to country From the lure to the lore And I couldn’t answer from the center of solace From the memory of angels From the salt of my tears From the eye to the Hard to listen when the desert’s so vast Hard not to fall back into my past I twist in the dry wind, I shout out for help But nobody hears me, no one but myself Voices were calling from out of my body From country to country From the lure to the lore And I couldn’t answer from the center of solace From the memory of angels From the salt of my tears From the eye to the heart

Dog Gone Blues I roll over in the morning to stroke your curly hair To touch your long, lean body even when I’m not sure you’re there But most times when I reach out, something ain’t quite right There’s a warm, furry body curled up by your side I got those dog gone blues cause those dogs ain’t been gone for some time Maybe in hindsight, we should have been more clear Instead of come sit by me, don’t you dare come over here Cause now when it’s bedtime, they crawl under the sheets And the only thing that’s touching me are puppy feet I got those dog gone blues, cause those dogs ain’t been gone for some time I remember the old days, we used to snuggle up so tight I’d wrap you in my arms and I would rock you through the night Now it takes vacation to hold each other close Cause when I go to kiss you I kiss a wet, puppy nose I got those dog gone blues, cause those dogs ain’t been gone for some time

The Shepherd (written for and dedicated to the memory of Linda Shepherd) She was a mentor, a teacher, a writer A poet with an ear for music And a love of the language She made you feel special Pulled you into her world A Shepherd of souls in anguish But now that she’s gone She’s more than all these things And she lives inside each of our hearts And we treasure her memory And live by her creed Knowing we’re never really apart We’re never really apart She had the kindness that all saints carry She’d stand back and observe While digging right into the fabric Of all these threads Pulled into our worlds A Shepherd of souls who seek magic But now that she’s gone She’s more than all these things And she lives inside each of our hearts And we treasure her memory And live by her creed Knowing we’re never really apart We’re never really apart

Easy Times (Sung as a round. The fourth part is an altered version of a traditional ballad called "Hey Ho Nobody Home") Easy times are hard these days Hard to find and hard to trace Easy to misplace it seems Like all of my forgotten dreams I’ve lost my way to Easy Times I walk these lonely streets I try to feel complete With all these broken bits Of heart and bone and bite and grit Where have we gone Why is this going on When will we see our way through all of it Hey, Ho, nobody home Can’t eat, can’t sleep Words have I none Yet will I be merry

Lyrics from "True Compass" CD

Look What Love Has Given Me Warm bodies roll together Skin on skin and heart to heart A cat on my head and dogs at my feet Nothing can pull us apart The sun comes through the morning blinds The light draws lines on pastel dreams I wake and turn and move the cat Look what love has given me So I lift one eye to see you dressing Off to work and in the car I rise to make you lunch and say “I wish you didn’t go so far” But as the daylight turns to powder Turns the world to ebony I race to find you coming home Look what love has given me Chorus: Love makes love and laughter suits us Music fills our heads with sound You, the dogs and the cat that’s purring I got it right this time around So I walk the dogs down by the lake The moonlight shimmers through the reeds I breathe the air that warms my soul I turn to find you next to me Back at home the fire started Red and gold of autumn leaves I hold you fast I kiss you harder Look what love has given me Chorus Back at home the fire’s burning Red and gold of autumn leaves I hold you fast I kiss you harder Look what love has given me

True Compass I would have missed you i would have never known your name I would have missed out, afraid to play the game If I hadn’t taken this one chance This chance to find romance This romance where I dance my way to you Then I wouldn’t be here Chorus: Will you share the things I love Will you bear the push and shove Will you cherish me as much as I will cherish you North and South, East and West I promise you my best I promise you are my One True Compass You are my One True Compass You are my steady course I didn’t know where I was going When I chose to make that drive When I took the plunge and let fate have its way If I hadn’t looked into your eyes Those eyes that held surprise Surprised by all this sudden inspiration Then I wouldn’t be here Chorus Now I know what true love really means I see my future clearer than my dreams And I can’t wait to see it all come true with you Chorus

Summer To Me We caught lightning bugs Put ‘em in a jar Poked a few holes in the lid Took ‘em to the yard Watched them through the glass The way they’d glow That was summer to me Under the big elm trees That was summer to me Standing in the moonlight Feeling the breeze Playing kick the can Out in the streets We rode our bikes hard ‘Til we had to come in That was summer to me Under the big elm trees That was summer to me Chorus: We slept with all the windows wide Trying to stay cool The nights were hot and sticky And the days spent at the pool And I could hear my mom and dad With the TV turned way down But the feel of the sheets And the sweat on my brow Are all that I am left with right now We listened to the cubbies On the radio waves Trying to hit a home run Playing against the Braves When they were in Milwaukee And that was long ago But that was summer to me Under the big elm trees That was summer to me Chorus

Six Beers It’s ten after one, the jukebox still playing The crowd’s thininng out, noone is staying But I’ll be here, I’ll be here until closing There’s nowhere to go, noone to go home to The house is so empty, cold rooms to roam through So I’ll be here, I’ll be here until closing Chorus: If six beers won’t do it, twelve won’t either The nights just get longer and the loneliness wider But I just didn’t have the nerve Now that it’s over Now that you’re gone I just don’t know how I’ll move on Well, the bartender’s mad, says I should get on Get off of my butt, and try to be strong But he don’t know, he don’t know what it feels like We all make mistakes, but this one was tragic A chance to find happiness, a chance to find magic Now I don’t know, I don’t know what it feels like Chorus Ooh, these lonesome days Building a life through a desperate haze What’s a woman to do But children and comfort and work made me stay But mostly I couldn’t get out of my way And you were, you were all that I thought of I just couldn’t manage to let myself go Stuck in a life where I’d rarely show And you were, you were all that I thought of Chorus

The Storm There’s a storm that cuts across Superior It’s a storm that weathers through time And it breaks all boundaries and borders And it batters the shifting shoreline And the waves come pounding like a heart beat With a rhythm that keeps its own time What I’ve learned from the pull of the tide is that The storm keeps the waters in line Why would we dive into deep waters Why would we risk life and limb If not to experience euphoria And if not to dive right in And isn’t love the same as the storm line Don’t we throw ourselves into that sea But with a hope that the rescue will always be there For you and for me Chorus: There’s a dark, dark cloud on the horizon And it boils up to the sky And it holds the sea in its strong arms And it rains it down with a cry And I wonder why few seems to notice As the pressure continues to rise That love is the truest barometer And the absence of love our demise So I offer you my warmest And I take you out of the wind And I hold you until you stop shaking And I warm you without and within And the storms are a constant reminder That nothing in life holds still It’s an endless battle of highs and lows It’s a weathered battle of wills Chorus So I’ll treasure every moment Be it winter, fall, summer or spring And I know the beat of the storm front And I feel the cleansing it brings You can always take cover from lightning You can stoke the fire against the cold But to run away from a darkening sky Is to never let love take hold Chorus

Small Town Oh the streets are so wide, you can diagonally park In athat small town, a small town Yeah the streets are so wide but the theater has gone dark In the small town. that small town Chorus: Where your business is everybody’s business And everybody’s nose is in your business And everybody knows more than you wish they did In that small, small town The concrete’s so worn, there are cracks for every year Of that small town, that small town When the mercantile closed, everybody was in tears In that small town, that small town Then our parents grew old and the kids all moved away From that small town, that small town With no prospects in sight athere’s no reason to stay In a small town, a very small town Chorus My cousin, Kenny owned the pool hall where grandpa cooked each day In that small town, that small town Making breakfast for the farmers and conversation by the way In that small town, that small town And my Grandpa would brag, though bragging’s not the way Of a small town, a small town I’m the oldest man around here and I walk five miles a day In this small town Chorus Ooh, hear the whistle blow as the train rolls by, as the train rolls by And oh, it never stops here anymore Well it’s a piece of our history, it’s a part of our past The small town, the small town But like all things worth saving, there’s a chance that it won’t last The small town, the very small town Chorus

32 Years 32 long years, three girls now grown All back to help you get on your way A doctor, a teacher with kids of their own The last one your baby and always will stay so Time to leave this house that held you so fast Time to put behind a lifetime of living Take down the pictures that harbor the past A time for letting go and forgiving Chorus: All the dreams you’ve dreamed here are wrapped up All the years you’ve lived are packed up and moved away Memories like boxes folded and filled up Tears seal the seams And tear you away Up to the attic, old Barbie Dolls Out on the driveway, the sound of a free throw Echoes of yesterday bounce through these halls And right now it seems like all that you know Chorus Sometimes moving forward Seems like two steps behind Sometimes what is best is hardest to find Just remember the blessing Just remember the grace And thank God for daughters like you raised You sit in a circle around a treasure chest Laughing and crying at all you remember Little time to linger, less time to rest But these times will always be marked by September Chorus

Try Drums and bombs and little children Heading off to war Wired cars and wired martyrs Falling to the sword What in the world has the world come to? What has separated me from you? What the hell are we supposed to do When the heart has lost its way? Holy cities, holy terror Holding out for peace Young men scream and babies wail And war will never cease As long as power is the strongest drug As long as leaders always act so smug As long as we bow and bend and shrug And let hatred have its way Chorus: I can reach another door I can open it We can put an end to war But we must try, try, try, try, try I can see another road I can travel it We can write a better episode But we must try, try, try, try, try Missiles fly and skies turn black And nothing really changes Burning bridges, broken bodies Dodging darkened dangers Helping hands of hypocrisy Who defines what is democracy? Why is peace now a commodity And where is right and truth? Chorus Try to see things in another light In the end we’re all just the same Try to put yourself in someone else’s hands Then maybe you can understand, Oh maybe we can understand Oh maybe, oh maybe Chorus Drums and bomobs and little children Heading off to war

My Love For You That gravel road won’t lead me home Parades at nightfall since I’ve been gone You know forever’s still far away And I love you more today than yesterday There are no boundaries in this life Contagious heartache, conjunctive strife While in this maze I wander lost I’ll still find you at any cost I’m testifying with this long face I feel I’ve fallen too far from grace But if you will meet me for midnight’s call I’ll dig my way out, I’ll climb that wall I’ve bent the rules, I’ve skimmed the air Across the water, deep in the dare When I come home, it’s none too soon By light of sun, by pull of moon If transportation is all I need The golden chariot, the silver bead Then in stolen moments I’ve traveled far I’m always heading to where you are Inside my pocket, inside my head I’ve got more change, I’ve got more lead I’ve got the secret, love’s boundless ways These are the words of which I’m made Nothing can touch my love for you When in the company of devil’s strangers I dream of you, I’m out of danger I turn a rhythm, tomorrow’s news Visions of love, visions of you All broken hearts will mend the same Whether in forgiveness, whether in blame Remembered harmonies, forgotten sins Open the door, I’m coming in Nothin can touch my love for you Old blind dogs don’t lose their scent Moving in darkness and forward intent Remaining faithful to the last I love you like that, so hard and fast There are no boundaries in my love What lies below us soars above And if you will meet me for midnight’s call I’ll pledge forever, I’ll pledge it all Cause nothing can touch my love for you

Nothing Can Harm Our Love The sun comes up earlier The light in the room Holds the promise of spring and renewal Though the temperatures plummet And the wind chill is brittle In our house there’s plenty of fuel Nothing can harm our love Nothing can harm our love Like the promise of sunlight That falls from above Nothing can harm our love The world news is bleak The apathy bleaker There’s a promise of peace called war Though the numbers keep climbing And there’s no end in sight In our house we don’t keep score Nothing can harm our love Nothing can harm our love Like a prayer for compassion That falls from above Nothing can harm our love We hope for a miracle That winter just ends That hatred is left at the station And though you can’t stop that train By even pulling the cord At least it shows determination The night throws a blanket Over all the earth’s ills For the comfort and rest that’s required With sleep comes repair The body renewed But these days the world seems so tired Nothing can harm our love Nothing can harm our love Like moonlight on water That falls from above Nothing can harm our love

Leap of Faith It was a long road It was a long time It was a long way around this stuck mind It was the way that I was looking And the things I couldn’t see And it was the way that you were looking at me It was a late night It was the late fall It was a late hour to make a late call It was the things that I was hearing And the things I couldn’t see And it was the way that you were looking at me Sometimes it takes a miracle Sometimes it takes a stand Sometimes it’s quite empirical And sometimes it’s so grand But most of all it needs to be A sudden leap of faith It’s a leap of faith It was a new dream It was an old car It was a back road And a bright star It was the things that I was feeling And the things I couldn’t see And it was the way that you were looking at me Sometimes it’s rude awakenings Sometimes...it’s about time Sometimes the earth is shaking Sometimes the world is mine But most of all it needs to be A sudden leap of faith It’s a leap of faith It was a lifeline It was a long rest It was a life long dream And a hard test It was the things that I was bearing And the things I couldn’t see And it was the way that you were looking at me Sometimes it takes a miracle Sometimes it takes a stand Sometimes it’s quite empirical And sometimes it’s so grand But most of all it needs to be A sudden leap of faith It’s a leap of faith And this is what I know And this is what I see It was the way that I was looking at me

Sail Away There’s a longing in my heart To see you in the morning There’s a longing in my heart To rest my face against your check But I guess I’ll have to wait Until that last great dawning When I take that mighty boat across the sea Chorus: Sail away, I can almost see you smiling Sail away, I can almost hear you breathe Sail away, I will reach out for your hand When I take that mighty boat across the sea I’m staring at the phone Wishing I could call you Like I’ve done so many mornings In the years you’ve been with me But the phone would go unanswered And I would be left hanging Til I take the mighty boat across the sea Chorus